American Airlines has changed their minds for now on their decision to temporarily drop flights at Sioux Gateway Airport.
Mayor Bob Scott explained the decision at the end of Monday’s city council meeting. “Flights for American Airlines are back on the schedule. The decision on Sioux Gateway Airport has been delayed and all parties are exploring the EAS. A quick check of AA dot com shows two flights to Chicago and one flight to Dallas,” according to Scott.
The EAS, or essential air service that the mayor refers to is a federal requirement for airlines to provide air service to certain communities. Scott says the more people that fly out of Sioux Gateway Airport, the better the chances those flights will continue.
“So I would encourage you if you are going to fly to fly out of Sioux City so that we get those numbers back up — and make sure that we keep those flights when this all shakes out,” he says. A daily flight to Denver through United Airlines and SkyWest is still set to start on October 14th.
(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)